Original plans for the 1959 Edsel had been in place well before the 1958 model
was introduced. As with the '58s, Mercury would share the body style with the big
series Edsels (Corsair & Citation), and a smaller series (Ranger, Pacer) would
team up the Edsel with the 1959 Ford body.
A decision was made in early 1958 to drop the big Edsels from the 1959 line,
leaving Mercury to stand alone in the Ford stables with a mid-size car. The remaining
Edsels were to be renamed - "Ranger" surviving as the standard version and "Corsair"
taking the deluxe model spot that was to be the Pacer.
With the disasterously low sales volume of the 1958 model, costs had to be slashed on
the 1959 Edsel. In a series of money-saving measures, the Teletouch Drive transmission
that was originally planned as an option on the 1959 Edsel, was eliminated. Unique
design elements were cut, and the Edsel began to lose some of the features that made
it distinct. Taillights from the 1958 Continental were used, the chassis was the same
as the Fairlane, and the dashboard became almost identical to the Ford.
Also, as a result of the public's changing need for a more economical car, the available
engine size for 1959 Edsels were significantly smaller than in the 1958 models. The
powerful E-475 motor was eliminated, and the E-400 that was once standard was now a
high-performance option. Styling was much more conservative this year as well. The
large distinctive grille was reduced and incorporated into a more Ford-like horizontal
configuration.

None of the changes could turn the marque around, and sales dropped well below
the 1958 model year totals. The future of the Edsel was in serious jeopardy.

All 1959 Edsel transmissions (and their dataplate codes) were identical
to Ford's.
The Edsel Mile-o-Matic was exactly the same transmission as the Ford-o-Matic
and Merc-o-Matic that went into Ford and Mercury cars. Similarly, the
Edsel Dual-Power unit was the Ford Cruise-o-Matic.

An overdrive transmission was not offered, but several 1959 Edsels
have been found with this factory-installed option. Supplied by Borg-Warner,
it was known as the T-85. In this case,
the transmission code on the dataplate is blank.
Also, even though the Express V8 was not listed as being available
with the manual transmission, several examples of factory-made Edsels
exist with this configuration.

Rear Axles

In 1959, Ford introduced their "Equa-Lock" rear axle, that provided
power to both drive wheels. It was in response to the extremely
popular Chevrolet "Posi-Traction" drive. Although the new gear set
was not available on Edsel, some factory-original examples do
exist. Their dataplate axle code is blank.

Interior Trim

The 1959 Edsel interior trim codes were two digits. Listed below are the available
color combinations and materials used, with trim codes for both US and Canadian-made
Edsels.

"Signet" cloth had little horsecollars, 3/4 inches high by 1/4 inches wide,
embroidered on them diagonally on the material.
"Reception" cloth can be described as jigsaw puzzle, or scrambled pattern
design.
Quite a few 1959 Corsairs have been found with "mesh" cloth inserts
in various colors, that were used on the 1958 Edsel.

Front seat styles varied on the 1959 Edsel.
Early models are split 60/40, like all 1958 Edsels. This was replaced
in December 1958 with a 50/50 split seat. These were again replaced in
January 1959 with non-split bench seats for 4-door model Edsels.
Each style maintained the contour design, and early 4-door models had
the split seats locked in place so they wouldn't tilt forward.

Carpet was standard on Corsair and Ranger, while Villager opted for
a rubber floor mat that was molded to resembled loop-pile tweed carpet.

There are no Blue or Green interiors available for Edsel
Convertibles. Consequently, there were very few convertibles ordered
in these colors.

1959 Edsel Part Interchange List

Look to the 1959 Ford for much of the 1959 Edsel parts. Engine,
transmissions and differentials are nearly or exactly the same as Ford.
Sheet metal from Ford is the same, except for the trunk bed - Ford's
has a spare tire well while Edsel's spare laid flat.

Corsair/Ranger taillight lenses were leftover from the 1958 Continental.

Corsair - Model script was the same one from the 1958 Edsel Corsair.
Convertible top bows are the same as Ford, except that they're painted black instead of tan.

Tires & Wheel Covers

The 1959 Edsel used several different brands of tires, with
B.F. Goodrich and Firestone being the two largest suppliers.
Blackwall tires were standard, with whitewalls of 2.25 inches wide available as an option.
All Edsel tires were tubeless - a big advancement in the 1950s.

Ranger models equipped with standard transmission and/or 6-cylinder engines
used 7.50 x 14, 4-ply tires. All other Ranges, as well as all Corsair and
Villager models, used 8.00 x 14, 4-ply.

Many Edsel owners have reported a marked improvement in handling with radial tires in place of
the bias-ply, and if the rims are in good solid shape, they will accommodate the radial tires
without a problem. And according to vintage tire distributor
Coker Tire, there
is not enough variation between original Edsel tires and radials to warrant any change in
the alignment setting, providing the recommended replacement is used.
But you should be aware of the following warning from radial tire manufacturers:

"When replacing bias ply tires with radial, please refer to the auto
manufacturers recommendations. Rims designed for bias tires can crack
because of the extra stress placed on them with radial tires. Interchangeability
is not always possible because of rim sizes, wheel well clearance and load
ratings. Never mix tires of different size or construction (radial and bias)
on the same vehicle. Vehicles designed for bias ply tires may drive
considerably different on radial tires. Caution should be used."

The 1959 Edsel hub cap was just that -
a 10.5 inch diameter cap that covered
the center of the wheel.

It was also used on the 1958 and 1960
model Edsels. When this option was used,
the rims were painted the same color as
the main body color.

The full wheel cover was optional. Fourteen inches in diameter,
it has an embossed "E" in a flat black circle in the center of
the cover. Around the edge of the wheel cover is a circle of
ninety-one stamped indentations, painted flat black.
These were also used on some 1960 Edsels.

An added option was the "spinner". A chrome circle
suspended above the wheel cover with three chrome tines
made the wheel covers look sharp. For 1959, there was
no colored backplate - the spinner mounted directly to
the chrome.

One other wheel cover option for the 1959 Edsel was the
larger 1958 Edsel wheel cover with the spinner applied.
In this case, a circular backplate painted as
the main body color (or sometimes the secondary trim color
if the body color is white) is attached between the cover
and the spinner. A hole in the center allows the "E" to still
be displayed.

Credits

Thanks to Phil Skinner
for the interior trim data, accessory data and color combinations,
Russ Waterhouse and Edsel Ford for the engine color codes,
Motor's Auto Repair for engine specifications, and
Speed Age for the performance and body specifications on the 1959 Edsel.

Special thanks to Magne Teigen for filling in the blanks, and to
Charles Salerno for error detection and correction.